Staff Reporter
SHILLONG:
The Directorate of Horticulture on December 16 facilitated the shipment of another 2000 kg (2 MT) of Khasi Mandarin from Ardong Phlangwar Organic Producer Co-operative Society Limited, South West Khasi Hills to Doha, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates.
Speaking to reporters, director of Horticulture D. Sohtun informed that it is the second shipment that was launched and the first shipment was from Jirang Organic Agro Producer Company.
“It is the second shipment that we are sending to Doha and Bahrain. The first consignment was from Jirang Organic Agro Producer Company,” she said.
Assistant Director of Horticulture Banrishisha Mukhim informed that the farmers fetch an earning of Rs 10 per piece and there is no middleman involved.
Sohtun said the department will send more mandarins if the market demands so.
It may be mentioned that the mandarin was purchased and exported by a Dubai based Retail Chain, Lulu Group International having its headquarter in Abu Dhabi, the capital of United Arab Emirates.
The Organic Producer Co-operative Society Limited was formed in the year 2021-22 and was registered under the Cooperative Society Act, is under the first year organic conversion and it consists of 18 villages having 500 ha of land with 500 farmer members.
The Horticulture department observed that it is like a dream come true to the farmers who all along were struggling.
It was on December 1, 2022 that the Directorate of Horticulture, government of Meghalaya under Mission Organic Value Chain Development for North Eastern Region (MOVCDNER) scheme of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (INM Division) in collaboration with Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) flagged off the export of the first consignment of Khasi Mandarin – GI of Meghalaya from Jirang Organic Agro Producer Company.
The mandarin was then purchased and exported by a Nagpur based exporter Pravin Wankhade from Universe Export, who also hails from a farmer family and the trial shipment was sent to Dubai, UAE.
Fully organic later
Mukhim said the department is guiding the farmers in organic farming.
“These are not fully organic mandarins. We are currently under the first year in-conversion, but we will turn them into fully organic certified Khasi mandarins as we will handhold the farmers for three years,” she said.
Farmers should take care of fruit trees
As for issues of decline in production of mandarins lately, Sohtun said that the farmers should take good care of the orange fruits.
“Most of the time, it is seen that farmers plant their fruit trees and do not take care of it. We have been teaching them,” she said.
The other reasons for the citrus decline are that no fertilizers are used. The department will organise a citrus rejuvenation programme to sensitize farmers.